Further experimental evidence for the mask model of narcissism
Further experimental evidence for the mask model of narcissism
According to the mask model, narcissists portray a hard exterior, but possess a soft core. This presumed fragility has been typically operationalized as a discrepancy between explicit and implicit self-esteem, producing inconsistent findings. A reason for the inconclusiveness may be that narcissism has been tested in situ. We report an experiment (N=209) where narcissists manifested hypervigilance: faster reaction times to self-threatening stimuli when their fragility was subliminally exposed. However, given ampler time (235ms vs. 149ms), narcissists switched from defensiveness to self-regulation: equivalent reaction times to those of non-narcissists. This switch, being rapid and difficult to detect, may explain prior inconclusiveness. Despite transient intrapersonal turbulence in the face of self-threat, narcissists quickly regain their composure and re-establish their granite exterior.
Hardaker, Mark
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Sedikides, Constantine
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Tsakanikos, Elias
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Hardaker, Mark
d6cf8ab4-21c7-4ce9-9cba-0cde99ead2ce
Sedikides, Constantine
9d45e66d-75bb-44de-87d7-21fd553812c2
Tsakanikos, Elias
dfadf128-8a2a-4655-a595-86398e22537e
Hardaker, Mark, Sedikides, Constantine and Tsakanikos, Elias
(2019)
Further experimental evidence for the mask model of narcissism.
Self and Identity.
(doi:10.1080/15298868.2019.1667862).
Abstract
According to the mask model, narcissists portray a hard exterior, but possess a soft core. This presumed fragility has been typically operationalized as a discrepancy between explicit and implicit self-esteem, producing inconsistent findings. A reason for the inconclusiveness may be that narcissism has been tested in situ. We report an experiment (N=209) where narcissists manifested hypervigilance: faster reaction times to self-threatening stimuli when their fragility was subliminally exposed. However, given ampler time (235ms vs. 149ms), narcissists switched from defensiveness to self-regulation: equivalent reaction times to those of non-narcissists. This switch, being rapid and difficult to detect, may explain prior inconclusiveness. Despite transient intrapersonal turbulence in the face of self-threat, narcissists quickly regain their composure and re-establish their granite exterior.
Text
Hardaker_Sedikides_Tsakanikos_SAI
- Accepted Manuscript
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Accepted/In Press date: 10 September 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 21 September 2019
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 434395
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/434395
ISSN: 1529-8868
PURE UUID: 29734bd8-2ef7-4db3-befc-af7d0746b198
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Date deposited: 23 Sep 2019 16:30
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 02:49
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Author:
Mark Hardaker
Author:
Elias Tsakanikos
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